What are these CAT tests my Yr 7 is doing?

[Ivegotthree]

DS is in YR 7 of a new school and his half-term homework is to revise for his CAT tests.

We've been told nothing about them, it's just on Show My Homework saying your half-term Science homework is to revise for your Science CAT.

Googling tells me CATs are like reasoning tests you can't revise for. So can anyone shed any light?

Thank you

Schools sometimes use them to sort out sets I think.

They are like IQ tests. Cognitive ability tests. The schools use them to pick up any differences with SATS scores. which might imply some sort of concern.

You can't really revise but there are probably some practice tests so they can get used to the format.

I've never heard of revision for CATS. Our year 7's do them on day one

Very weird to revise for them.

They're multiple-choice reasoning tests. Verbal, numerical, non-verbal.

If it is the same CAT treats as the ones I am familiar with, you will get a rather complicated set of results. Basically, the CEM centre in Durham have a huge amount of data for these tests. They will compare what answers your child put in with the results of hundreds of thousands of other students who have since taken their GCSEs.

In the old days, you would then have received something like

English
4-A
27-B
52-C
17-D

Meaning that, of the previous data sets, of 100 kids who have the same answers your kid did, 4 got an A in GCSE English, 27 got a B, 52 got a C, etc etc and ad infinitum through all the subjects.
Basically, a spread of probability of a child's likely future attainment at GCSE.

I don't know how they've handled the massive changes in GCSE exams, mind. That must've been a headache for them.

I have absolutely no idea why the school are encouraging your child to revise. Who wants inflated target grades????

Both my school and my kids school do them in the 1st week or 2 of year 7. They are designed not to be revised for.

Supposedly slightly better than SATS for setting end of year, end of key stage and GCSE targets. Between CATS and SATS, schools can see the level their students are working at, give them targets and start them off in roughly the right set if any subjects are in sets.

What on earth have they asked them to revise? I would worry that students that have revised (though I'm not sure what revision could be done) a lot for a CATS test may come out with scores higher than their natural ability. Therefore be set unrealistic targets and put in to higher sets than they can cope with. Therefore feeling like a failure when they don't hit their expected targets.

Our school does them at the induction day when they're still in year 6. You get an overall score and a banding A/B/C/D (25% in each band I think).
It's used to give a very basic idea of where they are aiming for in GCSE and they use it to put the top group in G&T (I think anyone whose average is over 130) although that just lasts for year 7, they assess it again after that and they can then get into the group for being outstanding in a specific subject (any subject, that includes thigs like PE, etc not just maths/English)

Nope, probably CATS in a different format, common assessed tasks, ie the whole year group sits the same test, rather than differentiated levels. Nothing to do with y7 entry CATS which certainly cannot be revised for.
Our kids sit a CommonAssessedTask in every subject every term.

On a side note, revise for CATS is a rubbish homework for y7s who usually need rather more direction, ie, learn key terms and their definitions for CAT

OK thank you all and Rosie I reckon your suggestion is probably right, as DS did an assessment in the summer which helped put the boys in sets.

Trying to get used to the secondary thing of parents not being told everything but it's hard to let go!

Thank you everyone x

There are CAT tests that are like iq aptitude tests which I don’t think can be revised for.

However my sons school also calls their termly class tests/projects/homework’s on topics they’ve covered CATS. While they have plenty of marked work back these are the only ones that are recorded for their reports etc. They have one every half term.
As it stipulates science, might be that.

My ds's school calls their tests CAT tests too. They are just tests in that subject in whatever format is appropriate for that subject. Just get him to read up on what he's learnt in his subjects so far. They're no big deal.

I also think it's weird setting revision for CATS tests. They are reasoning and logic based tests. I've never given notice of them and students have never revised.

Unless school are using CATs to refer to their own internal baselining tests.

I agree that these are unlikely to be THE CAT TEST that lots of schools have Yr7s do and buy in from GL or CEM (depending on if CAT or Midyis) but a common assessment task - a task that the whole year undertake...this could be a test (sounds like it in this case) or another task such as an essay or project or speech...or anything in fact. Lots of schools ask departments to centrally record the marks for a key or common task over term it half term to build up a centralised data base. The fact it is science and they are being asked to prepare suggests it's not the CAT4 tests which measure intelligence.